GREEN RANKING FOR 2009
Ranking: 34
Worth: £1.3bn
Green investment: Green energy

John Whittaker nearly became a priest but went into the quarrying business instead. Lancashire-born but now based on the Isle of Man, the tycoon is a leading developer in northwest England through his Peel empire. Among its assets are the Trafford Centre, Liverpool’s John Lennon airport and the Manchester ship canal. Whittaker, backed by a Saudi tycoon, took Peel private in 2004 and soon after split his empire into separate companies. His two main companies — Peel Holdings (TCL) and Peel Holdings (Land & Property) — had £2.07 billion net assets in 2007-8. Peel is investing heavily in green energy. In 2008 a £50m wind farm was opened in Lancashire. More ambitiously, Whittaker is looking at a £50 billion Ocean Gateway development along the Manchester ship canal and the Mersey. It proposes a Mersey barrage that would supply up to 260,000 homes with power. Wind and waste would also be harnessed for the Ocean Gateway project, which Whittaker is pushing with his customary zeal and tenacity. He has the clout, with a £1.3 billion fortune.